Dolphin Tale 5

Chapter [29]

"You excited, Misty? Soon, you'll be in the ocean. You'll be free!"

Hazel moved the hose back and forth, making sure to keep Misty's entire body moist. She adjusted the wet towel she had placed on the lower half of his body before turning to smile at Phoebe and Kat. The three of them were all sitting in the back of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium's stranding truck. Dr. Clay was driving, with Kyle operating the radio in order to keep in touch with the members of the CMA stranding team---Sawyer included---who were already at the beach where they'd be releasing Misty.

After a long discussion, they had decided to release Misty at the beach closest to the location at which he had originally been found.

"Do you think he has a family?" Hazel asked, staring at Misty. "I still wonder how he even got to that backyard, and I wonder how long he spent in that rusted old tank. The poor soul."

Phoebe shrugged. "Nobody has a clue as to how he ended up in that tank, and no one knows how long he was there for. As far as we know, the police are still trying to apprehend the owners of that particular property. They've managed to evade the police for a very long time."

Kat nodded. "Phoebe's right. The police haven't managed to track down the offenders, yet; they know how to stay under the radar. All we can do is hope that they're caught as soon as possible before something similar happens to another poor dolphin, or any other animal, for that matter."

Hazel stroked Misty's side affectionately. "No animal deserves to go through what Misty went through."

A sudden jolt made all three of them, including Misty, lurch forwards. The rest of the ride was bumpy as the truck made its way through the sand to get as close as possible to the water.

Moments later, the truck came to a sudden stop.

"We're here," said Kat, standing and moving towards the doors.

Hazel reached out to stroke Misty's side. "Do you think he can taste the freedom, yet?"

Phoebe shrugged. "I'm not too sure. Maybe he'll be able to smell the freedom when we take him out into the refreshing sea air. Perhaps he'll be able to taste the freedom when the tangy bitterness that resides in the air touches his tongue. And if none of that happens, I know that he'll be able to sense freedom when he's back in the water he belongs in."

Hazel opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the sound of the doors opening.

Sunlight steamed into the back of the truck, momentarily blinding Hazel, Phoebe, and Kat. As their eyes adjusted to the powerful light, the beach came into focus.

The crystalline waters were almost still---like a sheen of glass---with the occasional forwards and backwards movement as each small wave caused the water to rush back and forth as though the ocean was playing a game of Cat and Mouse with an invisible force.

"You guys ready for this?"

All eyes were on Dr. Clay as he locked the ramp onto the back of the truck.

Kyle came around the corner of the truck. "Yeah, we're ready." He walked up the ramp and crouched down beside Hazel. "We are ready. Right, guys?"

Everyone nodded with conviction.

Dr. Clay's eyes sparked, rather like the way the sun caused the ocean to sparkle as though it was made out of diamonds.

"All right, then. On the count of three, we'll lift the stretcher. One . . . two . . . three!"

* * *

"Okay. On the count of three, the right side will lower their pole. One . . . two . . . three."

Hazel and Kyle released their hold on the stretcher, now wrapping their arms around Misty to steady him.

"Okay. Left side on three. One . . . two . . . three."

Phoebe and Kat let go of the stretcher, too, their arms now wrapped around Misty.

Dr. Clay raised his head to look at the boat that was drifting a little way away before speaking into the walkie talkie. "Sawyer, is it all clear? Do you have a signal from Misty's tracking device?"

Sawyer, who was operating the radio on the boat, glanced over at the CMA employee he was with.

"Dr. Clay's wondering if you've got a signal from Misty's tracking device. Do you have a clear signal?"

A quick nod from the employee confirmed that there was a signal from the tracking device.

"All clear, Dr. Clay," he said, a smile on his face. "You're good to go."

Dr. Clay smiled as he heard Sawyer's voice come through the walkie talkie. He turned to face his team. "All right, guys, Sawyer's given us the go-ahead. Release him whenever you're ready."

Hazel bent down to kiss Misty on his nose, whispering, "Good luck, Misty." She straightened, looking at everyone in turn. "Ready?"

Everyone nodded, and with a nod from Hazel, they all let go of Misty.

He took off like a bullet, cutting through the water like a blade, making a beeline towards the boat.

Everyone watched as he swam around it, before leaping out of the water in what appeared to be a final farewell. All eyes were on him as he swam away, disappearing from sight a short while later.

Sighs of contentment and relaxation were heard as everyone realized what they had achieved.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium's motto and main mission had always been Rescue, Rehab, Release, and it would remain that way for many years to come.

This was another success story CMA could add to the books, and it would be far from CMA's last. There would be so many more successful rescue, rehab, and release stories---just like Misty's---to tell in years to come.

But for today, Clearwater Marine Aquarium staff members and volunteers could proudly say . . .

Mission accomplished.